[4] During the 1760s and 1770s, the territory now known as Vermont was in dispute between New York and New Hampshire, the result of conflicting interpretations of each colony's charter.

[6] When the British government resolved the dispute in New York's favor, New York attempted to assert control by forcing residents who had purchased grants from Wentworth to pay a fee to confirm their titles, otherwise face eviction.

[9] In 1780, the government of Vermont, by then an independent republic, re-chartered Kingsland and named it Washington.

[11] Other residents continued to arrive, and by 1792, the town was completely organized, with records for 1794 indicating that there were 32 freemen on its voter checklist.

[12] Centered on the hilltop near the Jail Branch, the town consisted mainly of small sheep farms that produced wool.

[13] Washington's population peaked at 1400 in 1840, after which there was a steady decline, as wool production decreased due to increasing tariffs and other factors.

[14][15] With the arrival of the railroad in the 1850s, the dairy industry expanded as urban markets became accessible.

[13] As industries including granite manufacturing grew in nearby towns, the expansion and railroads associated with it bypassed Washington, which remained a low-population rural community centered on agriculture.

[13] Although Washington remains a rural town, most farms are no longer in operation, and it has become a "bedroom community" with residents commuting to work in Barre, Montpelier, Burlington and other cities.